Portrait Photography

One of the most difficult things to get right in portrait photography is the lighting on the face. You don’t want the shadows to be too harsh, and you don’t want their face to be extremely bright. There is a delicate medium that takes place when you get the lighting perfect on the face. It … Read more

Portrait photographers are always chasing perfect, soft light that reduces facial shadows and enhances the overall aesthetic of the photograph. Those photos usually happen during the golden hour. Sometimes, it’s not easy to see just how close you are to blowing a photograph out (also known as an overexposed photograph) because you’re trying to show soft, … Read more

Many photographers who do not shoot weddings feel like shooting weddings is just a way to take a few simple shots and collect a large paycheck (let’s be serious, any of us who are married know that everything that has to do with the wedding is more expensive than it should be…). I can understand why … Read more

It’s certainly no secret that portrait sessions can be extremely difficult, especially when it’s a family shoot that involves extremely shy kids. Kids have the unique ability, almost super power-esque, to shut down all cooperation, and eventually the whole shoot is garbage (you can get them to come out of their shell, though, with these … Read more

“I shoot and cut people,” is the classic (and maybe slightly overused) joke among portrait photographers. It describes their workflow of taking people’s photographs and then cropping them down to perfectly place them in the image frame. So, that begs the question to those struggling to get into portrait photography, “What is proper portrait framing?” Well, … Read more

If you have kids, you know that you want to remember their happiest moments exactly how they happened. But sometimes the photo that you take doesn’t match up with the memory you have in your mind. Why is it that you have a beautiful image in your head, but the physical photo you have doesn’t … Read more

Shooting in low light is one of the biggest challenges of any portrait, wedding, or event photographer. Practicing and gaining experience when you’re in a low light situation is key to getting better at figuring out how you can pull light from both natural sources and artificial flashes. However, you may have been in a … Read more

A lot of times at various photography events or shows around town, people will ask me where my photography studio is. It’s almost an expectation when you are a photographer. I like to compare it to the progression of adulthood. First, you get married and people say, “When are you going to buy a house?” … Read more

What’s the main focus of any portrait? It’s definitely the face. Ask any photographer, and they will tell you that the face has to be perfect. Think about it this way, if you are in a normal conversation with someone, what’s the one place you look? It’s their face. It’s where we communicate expression and … Read more

As a family and portrait photographer, one of your biggest foes is a shy child. Let’s face it, kids can completely control a photo shoot. If they choose to go into a shy mode, they will completely shut down the shoot by their inability to cooperate. Is it easy to deal with? Maybe for some. … Read more

Landscape photographers talk about capturing the moments when they are out in the field. They see the lighting or mood just right and know how to display that same emotion in their final product. But, that technique isn’t reserved for landscapes. Portrait photos can capture just as much emotion than a landscape, if not more. … Read more

Photographers always want to know how to push the envelope and gain more exposure. What can we do on social media? Is this the right tweet? What hashtag should I use?! The name of the game for portrait photography hasn’t changed. It’s word of mouth. You take a photo, yadda yadda yadda, people start talking … Read more

Portrait photos are supposed to look nice and smooth with all of the blemishes and wrinkles removed, correct? Well, not so much. Not all of the time, actually. Some portrait photographs actually look better when they show contrast, clarity, and grit. When you are choosing a photo’s style you need to take the context of … Read more

Developing your own photography style makes photography more enjoyable, even if you are a hobbyist, because you know exactly how you want the photograph to look. But, it’s hard developing a personal style. It takes time, effort, and money to go try new techniques. High key photography is a great, easy way to creatively style your … Read more

Learning how to shoot silhouettes properly is a great tool to have ready in your arsenal of photo trickery. Silhouettes are great for all types of photography: portraits, landscapes, wildlife, sports, etc. Even though they don’t show the features of a subject, silhouettes catch people’s interest. If you are not familiar with what a silhouette … Read more